CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — Editor's note: The video above is from a previous report.
A judge sentenced a Georgia man to 30 years with 10 to serve in prison for a DUI crash that left longtime Emerson Mayor Al Pallone and his wife, Millie, dead in 2022.
Cherokee County District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said 52-year-old William Bryan Abernathy entered a negotiated guilty plea for six counts of homicide by vehicle in the first degree, six counts of serious injury by vehicle, reckless driving and two counts of DUI.
In addition to the 30-year sentence with the first decade in confinement, a judge also ordered Abernathy to get a substance abuse evaluation and treatment, avoid drug and alcohol use, and commit to 120 community service hours, among other things.
Cherokee County deputies responded to the four-vehicle crash on Dec. 10, 2022. It happened along Knox Bridge Highway just east of Field Landing Road. Prosecutors said Abernathy caused the crash after losing control of his Chevrolet Silverado truck.
"Earlier that afternoon, Abernathy consumed alcoholic beverages before driving east on Knox Bridge Highway," the DA's office said in a news release. "Just before 4 p.m., the truck was traveling 76 miles per hour in a 55-mile speed limit zone."
He lost control of his truck in a curve, crashing into a Hyundai Santa Fe, the DA's office mentioned; the Pallones were inside of the vehicle. Their Hyundai overturned and ended up in the wood line after also being hit by a GMC cargo van.
Prosecutors said Abernathy's truck also hit a Mazda during the collision.
The DA's office said deputies smelled alcohol and noticed Abernathy had trouble with his balance. Initially, he denied that he had consumed any alcohol but eventually admitted drinking beer, the news release added. About four hours after the crash, his blood alcohol level was at 0.249; the legal limit in Georgia is 0.08.
Prosecutors said in the news release that the couple died from blunt force trauma. The other two drivers survived their injuries but had to be extricated from their vehicles.
“On December 10, 2022, two people lost their lives and two others were seriously injured as a result of this defendant’s decision to operate a vehicle while intoxicated,” said Assistant District Attorney Pete Lamb. “During the plea hearing, the courtroom was filled to capacity with family members and law enforcement officers showing their support of the victims. The Pallones were much loved by their family and their community.”
Al, 65, and Millie, 69, had three children along with grandchildren.
“Our hope is that the sentence provides some closure to those who were injured and the families and friends who lost loved ones," Treadaway said.
Al Pallone served the City of Emerson in Bartow County for 15 years as mayor and more than 20 years as a city council member.